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UNITED STATES PATENT OEEICE.

EVERE'ITK'JOHN MURPHY, QF ALVARADO, VIRGINIA.

HAND-TRUCK.

SPEGIFICFATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 693,422, dated February 18, 1902.

Application led July 23, 1901. Serial No. 69,429. (No model.)

'To all whom, it r11/tty concern;-

Be it known that LEVERETT J oHN MURPHY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Alvarado, in the 4county .of Vashington'. and.

State of Virginia, have invented a new and useful 'Hand-Truck, of which the following is a specification.

Myinvention relates to improvements in hand-trucksof the class use d for handling barrels, casks, boxes, cases, and the likeyand it consists in the peculiar construction and combination of devices hereinafter fully set forth and claimed.

One object of my invention is toprovide an improved attachment to va hand -truck by means of which the loading of a heavy case or the like onthe truck may be facilitated.

A further object of my invention is to provide an improved attachment to prevent the truck from backing whenthe nose thereof is in position to be inserted under a case, barrel, or the like.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure lis a vertical sectional view of a hand-truck provided with my improved attachments; Fig. 2 is a rear elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is a detail perspective view of the guide for the lever attachment. Fig. 4 is a similar view of the attachment to prevent the truck from backing. Fig. 5 is a detail elevation, partly in section, of a modified means for connecting the foot-lever to the truck frame and axle.,k

In the drawings the truck A is of the usual construction, the frame thereof comprising the bars 1, formed with handles 2 attheir outer ends, and cross-bars 3which` connect said bars 1, the axle being indicated at 4, the wheels at 5, and the nose at 6.

In the embodiment of my invention I provide a pair of guide-bars 7, which are adapted to be placed on the rear side of certain of the cross-bars 3 and to be secured thereto, as at 8, and at the upper or outer ends of the said guide-bars are heads 9,'which are at right angles thereto and bear on the outer side ofthe outermost bai' 3. In the outer sides of the said heads are bearing-seats 10, which are trarnsversegof said" heads, as shown. Guide-rods 11 are disposed on the' outer sides of the guide-rods or bars 7 and extend longitudinally thereon at suitable distances therefrom, the upper ends of the said guide-rods 1l being curved, as at 12, and bolted to the outer ends of the heads 9, as at 13, the lower Vinner ends of said guide-bars`11 being bolted to the outturned inner ends 14 of guide-bars 7, as at l5. It will be observed that the guidebars lland 7 are spaced somewhatapart to admit of the passage of a lever 16 between them. The Vsaid lever has at its inner end trunnions 17, which project from opposite sides thereof and are adapted to travel in the ways formed between the guide-bars 7 11. By drawing the lever 16 outwardly from the said guide-bars to the fullest extent, as shown in Fig. 1, `the trunnions 17thereof may beengaged in the bearing-seats 10, hence pivoting the lever on the heads 9, the said trun'nions 17 forming the fulcrum for theY lever, as will be understood. At the outer end of the lever isa handle 18, and onthe rear sideof the lever are 'notches 19. ring 20 on the 'said lever is adapted to be moved thereon to any desired position and to be engaged with any of the openings 19. '1`o the said ring 20 is pivotally connected a rod 21, the outer end of which is provided with a hook or claw, as at 22,. adapted to engage a cask, case, bale, or the like and to facilitate the drawing of the same onto the truck by means of the lever 18. This attachment is extremely useful in load ing bulky and heavy articles onto the truck. When not in use,the lever is disposed between the guides, as shown in Fig; 2. The guides -are connected on their rear sides by keepers 23, which retain the lever between the guides, while permitting the lever to be drawn end- Wise outwardly therefrom. Owing to the ring 20 the rod 2l may be readily disposed on one side of the lever 16 and engaged by a hook 2l, which is secured on one of the crossbars 3. v

Y I will now describe my improved attachment by means of which the `truck is prevented from backing when the nose thereof is inserted under a barrel, bale, or case. A bracket 25, which is preferably of the form Shown in Fig. 4, is bolted to the rear side of the lowermost cross-bar 3 and has au arm 26, provided'with a slot.27, through which slot the axle 4 passes. Tothe outer enrlof the arm 26 is pivoted a foot-lever 2S, asat 29. Said foot-lever is here shown as comprising a pair of rearwardly-diverging arms 30 31.' At

IOO

the outer end of the downwardly-extending arm 3l is a footpiece 32, which is preferably provided with a curved lower face 33, which is corrugated, as shown. To the outer end of the arm 30 is pivotally connected a pedal 34 for the foot of the operator and by means ot' which the lever 2S maybe depressed when the truck is in the position shown in Fig. l, withits nose under a box, cask, or bale, and it will be understood that when the lever 28 is thus depressed its corrugated footpiece 32 Awill frictionally engage the floor or platform on which the truck is used and prevent the truck from backing when the same has its frame lowered and its nose engaged under a bale, box, or cask in loading the same onto the truck. When the foot of the operator is removed from the pedal 34E, the arm 28, with the pedal and engaging foot, is turned npwardly and maintained in a position under the truck-frame and out of the way by a spring 35. A spring 36 maintains the pedal 3i in a horizontal position when the lever 2S is upturned and supported by the spring 35.

In Fig. 5 of the drawings I show a modified form of the means for connecting the lever 2S-to the truck. In this modification I employ a yoke 37, to which the lever is pivotally attached, which yoke has a pair of arms 38, adapted to pass on opposite sides of the axle, which is rectangular in cross-section. The outer ends ofsaid arms are screw-threaded, as at 39, and engaged by a bar 40, the latter having openings to receive said threaded ends. Nuts screwed on the latter secure said bar to said yoke. A bolt-stem 4l, which extends from the center of said baron one side thereof, is adapted to secure the same to one of the cross-bars 3 of the truck-frame. Hence the yoke 37 may be firmly clamped on the axle and at the same time secured to the said cross-bar.

Having thus described my invention, I claiml. A truck having longitudinally-disposed guideways on its rear under side provided at their outer ends with bearing-seats, in combination with a lever adapted to be housed between said guideways and having trunnions engaging said gnideways and adapted to be seated in said bearing-seats to form the fnlcrum for the lever, a ring adjustable on the said lever, and a rod 'connected to the said ring for the purpose set forth, substantially as described.

2. A hand-truck of the class described having a pivoted foot-lever on its rear side for the purpose set forth, said foot-lever having an engaging foot and apivoted pedal, a spring to normally elevate said foot-lever, and a spring to maintain said pedal in a horizontal position when said foot-lever is npturned, substantially as described.

3. An attachment forhand-trncks comprising a bracket adapted to be secured on the rear side of a truck-frame, and slotted to receive the axle of the truck, a foot-lever pivoted to said bracket and having an engaging foot, and a pedal, whereby said foot-lever may be depressed, for the purpose set forth, substantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto aiiixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

EVERETT JOHN MURPHY.

Witnesses:

W. S. PRESTON, T. L. KELLER. 

